Sheldon Keefe provides important updates on Jake McCabe, Bobby McMann
The Toronto Maple Leafs lost Bobby McMann and Jake McCabe in the second period last night against the Detroit Red Wings to some very concerning injuries.
It was an injury-filled game for the Leafs last night as they lost Bobby McMann and Jake McCabe to injury and appeared to have lost Timothy Liljegren to one as well. Liljegren made his return to the Leafs lineup last night after missing the past two weeks with an upper-body injury. Midway through the first period, however, it looked like he was headed back to the injured reserve after being hit from behind by Detroit Red Wings forward Joe Veleno.
Liljegren went straight to the Leafs' dressing room to be evaluated, but did end up returning to the game. His return was significant because the Leafs would have been down to four defensemen in the third period following a scary incident with Jake McCabe.
With the Leafs down 4-3, and with just three minutes to go in the second, McCabe blocked a Dylan Larkin shot with his face. McCabe was tended to immediately by the Leafs' training staff and was rushed down the tunnel to the locker room, where he remained the rest of the game.
McCabe's injury was the third injury the Leafs had to endure last night as earlier in the same period, forward Bobby McMann suffered a lower-body injury after getting tangled up along the boards. The injury is believed to be to McMann's right leg.
Keefe provided updates on the statuses of McMann and McCabe following the loss to Detroit
Following the overtime loss, Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe Sheldon Keefe provided updates on both McMann and McCabe.
Keefe didn't confirm if the injury to McMann is the same type of injury he has dealt with in the past or if it is something new, but by the sounds of it, he will likely be unavailable for the Leafs' final two regular season games against the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning.
Although the update on McCabe was positive, it's unlikely that he sees the ice in either of the Leafs' final two games either. As Keefe alluded to earlier in the week, there have not been many games where McCabe has played at 100 percent. Given the fact that the Leafs are locked into third in the Atlantic, it makes more sense for him to rest for a week before the playoffs begin to allow his body to heal some before the real test begins.
Auston Matthews was also asked about the McCabe block with his face following the game, and after speaking with McCabe, he was relieved to find out that his teammate was able to avoid any serious injury and was thankful to hear that he'd be okay.
While the injuries to two key players for the Leafs come at a less than ideal time of the year, the silver lining is that both will have a week to recover and rest other bumps and bruises before the playoffs begin. It will force Keefe to play others that he wanted to rest an extra game, at least up front, but with nine NHL defensemen on the roster, he has plenty of options to give the likes of Morgan Rielly, Simon Benoit, and T.J. Brodie some rest ahead of the playoffs.
The line combinations will be put into a blender in the final two games for the Leafs. They wrap up their season with games against Florida and Tampa on Tuesday and Wednesday.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 14 | 386 ANSWERS Sheldon Keefe provides important updates on Jake McCabe, Bobby McMann If Bobby McMann misses time due to his injury, who should move up to his spot on the 2nd line? | ||
| Nick Robertson | 184 | 47.7 % |
| Calle Jarnkrok (when healthy) | 59 | 15.3 % |
| William Nylander | 139 | 36 % |
| Other | 4 | 1 % |
| List of polls | ||
